This volume provides a philosophical introduction to and analysis of the study of metaphor. By proceeding from the concrete analysis of complex metaphors, White is able to identify a range of features which are incompatible with standard accounts of the way words function in metaphor. In so doing, White sets out a powerful new conception of metaphor as a 'linguistic hybrid'. In this way, the use of metaphor makes possible an act of communication which goes essentially beyond the standard resources of the language. The volume includes discussion of the key accounts of metaphor, and will be essential reading to all those working in philosophy of language, philosophical logic, metaphysics, and literary criticism.